The Heart Wants What It Wants
by Pearlinprocess
Summary: Sequel to "Kingdoms of Hearts". Now that Cedric is back at his post as the Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia, everything has gone back to normal. Well, normal for the most part. Except now, a certain royal lady is determined to make the silly, nervous sorcerer her own. And when the heart wants what it wants, it will find a way to get it... Full-blown Cedfia, not 'platonic' in the least!


Out in the lukewarm Autumn night air, Lady Sofia sat by herself out in the garden following her groundbreaking announcement. Most of the guests had stayed inside to titter about what had just happened, but one person in particular went out of their way to go out and speak to her.

"So... What was all that about?" Cedric asked her quietly, from behind the other side of the tree that Sofia was also sitting beside.

She shrugged even though he couldn't see the motion. "I decided I didn't want to be princess anymore. So now I'm not. Simple as that."

His cheeks went red with a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. It was impossible for him to face her directly so soon after what she'd done before the big announcement, but he was too annoyed by her actions not to at least say -something- about it. "Oh, simple as that, eh? You're just going to quit being a princess and save the world as a commoner, hmm? And I suppose you think that because you're not a princess anymore, you're free to do just about anything you want?"

He suddenly realized he didn't have to face her himself, as she had gotten up and stomped around the tree to glare sternly at him, poking him in the chest with a finely-manicured finger, effectively freezing his body into a statue. "First of all, I kissed you while I was still a princess, remember? I wanted to kiss you while I was still a princess! But what I did in the foyer just now - That wasn't for you, or anyone else! That was for me and me alone!"

She glared at him for a few seconds more, studying his frozen face carefully before softening her features again, and smiling patiently. "And I already said back there... That I know I'm just one person. I can't save the entire world. But I can't even try if I'm pretending to be better than anyone else... You know, I really look up to you, Mister Cedric." She suddenly confessed. "You've done so many good deeds for so many people, and you hardly get any credit for it. But you're still a good person, you still keep on doing good for others..."

Cedric finally blinked, and blushed, and looked away from her. "That's not true... I'm not nearly as good-hearted as you think, Sofia. I'm no saint - It annoys me when I don't get recognition, and I've done plenty of things that I'm not proud of..." To this very girl in particular, he reminded himself, trying especially hard not to look at the amulet hanging from her neck.

"So has everyone else, Cedric." She reminded him, crossing her arms. "And that's my point... I'm no different from you or anyone else, except for how rich and well-known my family is. People go about being good to each other, every day, without anyone ever recognizing them for it, and I believe I should too. I don't need people to call me a 'princess', and although I'd never insist that anyone else make the decision I have, I hope that someday all monarchs will eventually realize that their system is a flawed one, and dismantle it. But for now, I can only focus on myself. So, if you must know, that is why I did what I did tonight, not because I thought it would make a certain sorcerer less nervous around me. Although I do hope that might be the case anyways."

Smiling, she gave him one last wink before she turned around and headed back the castle. Her timing was rather perfect too, because just as she did this, her mother Queen Miranda came walking up to her. "Sofia, can we talk?" She asked, her features clearly worried.

"Of course, mom." Sofia nodded, "Let's just go to my room, okay?"

Miranda agreed and they both walked together in a comfortable silence to Sofia's room, where it was understood was the proper place for mother and daughter to speak privately.

Sitting on her bed, Sofia patted down on the spot next to her, and Miranda sat down. Since her mother seemed hesitant, Sofia began for the both of them, "I know this is about what just happened at the banquet, mom. I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you or Dad, or made things difficult. I just really felt this was the right thing for me to do." She explained.

Miranda slowly shook her head. "No, Sofia... Don't apologize for doing what your heart told you was right. If anything, I should be the one to apologize..."

"For what?" Her daughter returned in confusion.

"Well..." She sighed and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "You know I truly love Roland with all my heart... But a mother should always put her children before anyone else, even her husband. I suppose I should have thought more about how you felt, before I decided to marry him and uproot your life completely like I did. Oh, Sofia - I'm so sorry, honey. I hope you haven't secretly been miserable all these years because of my selfish decision. I told myself that it would be wonderful for you to grow up as a princess, but I never really considered how you actually felt about that, did I?"

The former princess shook her head right away and clutched onto one of her mother's hands as she exclaimed, "Please don't blame yourself, Mom! I don't think that way at all! I'm nothing but grateful for everything you've done for me, and I never disliked being a princess. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just don't see why anyone needs to call me a princess, that's all..."

Miranda drew her in close and hugged her tight. "Are you sure, Sofia?"

She leaned her head against her mother's bosom as she replied, "I'm sure, mom. I would never do anything to hurt you or our family - And that includes being unhappy myself and lying about it. I know you wouldn't want that. That's why I had to do what I did tonight... Because I knew I was lying about who I really was, and I needed to set things straight. You understand, right Mom?"

Kissing her forehead, Miranda rocked her daughter in her arms - Even though Sofia was much older and bigger than she was as a child, it still felt right to them. "Of course I do, sweetie. Oh... I can't believe what a mature young lady my baby has become..." She sniffled and reached up to wipe at her eyes.

Sofia giggled a little. "Oh mom, don't cry over this... You should save the tears for Amber's wedding!"

Miranda laughed at her joke, and ruffled her cinnamon-colored hair. "Alright - But only if you promise that I'll be able to cry at your wedding someday, too!"

Sofia smirked a little to herself, "I'm working on it, mom~"

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Thankfully for Frost-Eye, although King Roland could not abide by cats at all, he was very much a 'dog-person' and delighted in having the exotic white Arendelle breed around the castle, as long as Cedric made sure to take good care of him, of course. This included taking the dog out for walks every day, which Cedric overall didn't mind - After spending years in the mostly-snowy tundra of Arendelle, he found it relaxing to soak up some sun now, although he had avoided it as much as possible when he was a younger, broodier man.

There was just one problem with the arrangement - Frost-Eye had the uncanny ability to decide he needed fresh air whenever Sofia seemed to also be out. Cedric had been doing his best to keep the dog on a route that would go around her, and she also seemed to be giving him plenty of space when they went out, but it was just so awkward. Neither of them were ever able to resist glancing over at the other when they were in view, avoiding their eyes whenever they met at the same time.

But Sofia kept to her promise, and didn't approach Cedric. He in turn stubbornly kept to his own business, or at least he did for the first few days. However, one day, Sofia brought Clover out with her into the garden for a stroll. He was an aging bunny again, so she kept him in her arms, cuddled up against her bosom. It was a good thing too. Frost-Eye became instinctively over-excited when he saw the hare, because back in Arendelle they'd been a rare treat. Barking and sprinting after the bunny in her arms, the strong dog dragged the now short-haired Cedric out to Sofia, who despite becoming a little less shrimp-like since coming back from Arendelle, was still no match for the beast when he'd made up his mind about where he wanted to go.

Sofia shrank back just a single step, and sternly commanded the dog with the proud authority of an alpha personality, "NO! Clover is my friend! You stop!"

The dog obeyed her and stopped, but whined and cocked his head in confusion. Cedric growled in frustration and added, "Bad dog! You do not run up to people and scare them, Frost-Eye!"

Sofia smirked a little up at his master, "I wasn't scared, Cedric. But he's right, Frost-Eye, that is rather rude. You need to consider how others feel when you do such things."

Again, the pup cocked his head the other way and continued to whine. To Sofia and Clover's ears, it translated to, "Why...? How come I can understand this pretty purple wolf?"

Clover sniffed derisively for a while back at the pup while the humans regarded each other obliviously. The hare was not the least bit afraid of the large dog in Sorceress Sofia's arms, and he patiently replied, "Man, why are most dogs so dim? Hey genius, not everything is another kind of wolf. What, am I just a little edible wolf? Geez. She's a human and I'm a rabbit, but that doesn't mean I'm automatically food! Listen up - I'm older than any other rabbit, so that means I'm also wiser than any other rabbit. And since you seem to be lacking in the sense department, you should probably respect your elder and pay attention to my words instead of trying to eat me. Do you understand?" (This may seem like a lot to get across with just a few sniffs and nose-twitches, but that's one of the many perks of being a magical, psychic bunny-rabbit.)

The simple-minded dog barked back happily, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, "I do understand!" For the most part, anyways.

Sofia smiled at their antics, and then to Cedric as she asked, "Ah, so how have you been?"

Cedric crossed his arms and tucked away the leash, regarding her suspiciously. "I've been well..." He answered awkwardly and vaguely.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and couldn't help but pry. "Oh? Have you been experimenting with any interesting magic lately? I've actually been trying to perfect an elixer that helps to rapidly grow and stabilize certain fruits and vegetables in arid climates, myself. Also, I've just created a lovely new strain of lavender singing lilies - Perhaps you could come see them with me sometime, if you'd like?"

He regarded her with more interest as she spoke about her magical and scientific hobbies, until she got to the offer to accompany her. Then his expression became more guarded, "Mm, well, perhaps... But I am awfully busy myself..."

Sofia looked down sadly, "Oh... I'm sorry. I don't want to disturb or disrupt you, it's just... I think I miss you more now than when you were away..."

Before Cedric could think of how to respond to that, Frost-Eye suddenly got ansty about all the blue moods everyone seemed to be having, and he began to run around in rapid circles, unsuspectingly wrapping his leash around the two hapless humans and bounding them rather tightly together as he barked, "Hey! Cheer up!"

Cedric and Sofia both gasped at the sudden and incredibly awkward predicament, bound with their torsos together and their faces almost touching. So close they could feel each other's hearts beating, though Cedric was just glad that old rabbit at least was some small barrier between them. They both blushed and scurried to try and wriggle their wands out to help, which of course only made things more awkward. But Sofia managed to get hers out first and used a spell to disappear the leash altogether, and reappear it on the ground a couple seconds later.

Cedric immediately backed away from her and sneered at the dog, "Frost-Eye, that was very, VERY -BAD-!"

Sofia giggled a little, "Oh Cedric, don't be so mad at him. He's a dog. That's just how dogs are. That's just what they do."

He went and retrieved the leash, then crossed his arms as he returned and spoke to her in a stern, hushed whisper, "Listen, Sofia. I DO want to still be your friend, I really do. But you need to stop flirting with me, I can tell when you're doing it! Do you understand, I was eighteen years old when you were born, a full grown adult! When I was your age, you were six! How would you feel if a six year old wanted to date you?"

She rolled her eyes at his melodramatic speech. "It's not the same at all and you know it. But I already told you that I never expected anything of you when I confessed my feelings, I just wanted you to know. I think being just friends is a great idea!"

He blinked openly in surprise, "Really...?"

She nodded, "If that's what you want."

He straightened out and cleared his throat a bit, trying to look dignified. "Er, well, yes. To be honest I think that would be nice..."

Sofia smiled, reaching over and ruffling Frost-Eye's ears and head, much to the simple dog's delight. "Of course, Cedric! You've always been my friend and you always will be! So, why not go check out my singing lilies together?"

He was caught a bit off caught a bit off-guard by that. Well, when she said it like that, there was no particular reason not to go look at her lilies. As friends. "Alright then..."

After walking over and nudging him with her elbow to follow him, they both walked together, side by side, towards the greenhouse.

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Wassailia came and passed, and it was a very merry season indeed. Sofia gave Cedric brand new mittens and another magically warm scarf, this one in an olive green color. Cedric in turn gave her a magical everlasting rose - In the traditional yellow color, which symbolized friendship, but not romantic love. Still, Sofia adored it, and put it in a vase in her room.

At the following New Year's Ball, Princess Amber announced grandly to everyone in attendance that night that she would soon be wed. She bid her husband to reveal himself, and to everyone's initial surprise, it turned out to be the shy, soft-spoken Prince Desmond who stepped up and stood beside Amber. After thinking upon it though, it made much more sense - Amber wasn't the type to keep a man around who was moodier and more flamboyant than she was. The humble, sensible prince was a good, stable match for her, and everyone was glad to have him.

The wedding took place that Spring, and Amber was the most beautiful bride, adorned in a dress only too fitting for the marriage of a future queen. The trail was adorned with sunny-yellow flowers, and her hair was woven with orange marigolds. Sofia, who wore a complimentary cornflower blue bridesmaid dress, hugged her sister tight before and after the ceremony, so proud of her. Suffice to say, there wasn't a dry eye among the Royal Family that day.

Then, in the following late summertime, during a Royal Picnic, James addressed those who had assembled, and in turn informed them that he was also soon to be wed, to none other than the lovely Princess Vivian. Again, it was a sensible match of opposites attracting, a soft-spoken princess to the loud and rowdy knight-prince, and everyone agreed that it was a good state of affairs for all the kingdoms involved.

However, before the wedding, which was to be set in mid-November, Prince James and Princess Vivian had decided to hold a masquerade ball that All Hallow's Eve, as a sort of sending off party for the both of them, since naturally, royals don't exactly do 'bachelor's parties'. But James thought it would be a fun idea, and as long as there's a half-decent reason to throw a party, royals will throw a party. When she heard about it, Amber had excitedly agreed that it was a great idea too, because, "If anyone had anything to say about the wedding that wasn't positive, with the masks they wouldn't know if they were telling that to the bride or groom or any of their close friends!"

Of course, Cedric got roped into doing the magical decorations for the thing, as always. But he found himself getting into the spirit of things this time. Sofia refused to tell him what her costume was going to be like, but he was confident that he would be able to tell it was her when he saw her, and considered it a miniature challenge for the evening to seek her out, and maybe give her a little scare. It was Halloween, after all.

And after that grand Halloween some years ago, where apparently Sofia had brought in -real- ghosts, Roland was eager to show off his newly re-acquired Royal Sorcerer and outdo himself this year. So it wouldn't be any problem if he did happen to get the wrong woman, as it was literally his job tonight to spook people with his magic. He felt a little giddy in fact, at the potential mischief he could cause. Of course he'd keep it in good fun, but on top of that he'd have a mask on in a sea of people with masks - He was actually quite sure that this night was going to be very fun for him!

So unlike how he usually answered the door to his room when summoned by a knock, with gloomy sighs, he was actually quite excited that afternoon when Baileywick arrived with a case with three custom masks to choose from. They all had long noses of course, but there was one that was purple and gold, and another that was green and silver. After some consideration, Cedric ended up choosing the one between them.

The face-plate around the eyes was a metallic blood-red, with obsidian and mother-of-pearl diamond-stars around the eyes, and an obsidian crescent moon between his eyes, on the bridge of his nose. The nose-piece was also done in mother-of-pearl, with a swirled shape like an 'S'. Tiny pearl-beads framed around to complete it.

He put it on, and looked at himself in the mirror. With the plain but formal, crisp and new black hooded robe that he was wearing tonight, it made him resemble some sort of gaudy grim reaper. He couldn't help but grin, picking out a plain black wand to match.

"What do you think, Baileywick?" Cedric asked over his shoulder. They hadn't spoken that much since the 'incident', besides mostly professional banter.

But Baileywick gave him an encouraging smile, and nodded. "Very nice, Cedric. I'm sure the guests will be most impressed tonight." He paused just a beat, and since it was Halloween, he couldn't help but play a little 'trick' on his old colleague as well. "And, whoever she is, your lady-friend is very lucky to have the attention of a dashing young sorcerer like you."

Cedric raised an eyebrow at him, and then grimaced a little, forever grateful that the steward didn't know the identity of said 'lady friend'. "I don't think you're that much older than me, to say something that bold, Baileywick." He quipped back at him.

The aging butler smirked back at him, "I'm old enough!"

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The party started off innocuously enough, ushering all the guests into the main hall to start the ceremonies. Then as soon as Baileywick signaled him that most everyone had arrived, Cedric, who was hiding behind a suit of armor at the top of the stairs, summoned a great dragon made completely of green and purple fire to fly around the ceiling and between the chandeliers. He was careful to make sure the flames didn't stray too far or lick out at anything dangerously, like curtains and such, and still at the same time made it do impressive aerial maneuvers and menacing faces at the guests, who both shrunk before it but also couldn't help but watch in awe.

Finally at the end of the display he had the dragon, which more resembled an Eastern serpent than a Western wyvern, consume it's own tail and disappear in an impressively controlled explosion of magical fireworks. The guests applauded and Cedric bowed from the top of the stairs, before leaping from them and floating down the ground harmlessly with magic. He then bowed again to a new round of applause, before working his way into the crowd, and starting his quest.

After spooking the first few guests who dared for some punch, by having a purple octopus tentacle or two reach out from the punch bowl and grab their cups from them, then fill it for them before handing it back - Cedric then began to try and scope the crowd, looking for Sofia's distinct cinnamon-brown colored hair. Most likely she'd be in purple, but she might also sport pink or blue. And there was a very good chance that she'd be themed as a rabbit or a butterfly, or possibly a white dove or swan...

But then he felt someone tap on his shoulder, and to his deep surprise, he turned to find one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life. Well, most of her, anyways. She had a full-faced mask on, mostly white with a wispy vague butterfly shape around the eyes in reflective silver. There were also some small round grey pearls around the shape of her eyes, over her brow, and in the middle of her brow, she had one slightly larger, oval shaped purple-black pearl. The lips of the mask, which were rather full-bodied, were also painted silver, and her eyes were the same matching stormy-sky grey.

She wasn't wrinkled from anywhere he could see, but all the hair framing around that mask was silver and grey too, leading Cedric to assume right away that it was an older woman, as most younger women would never sport such an ensemble. Younger girls were colorful. This was a woman who'd recently started going a bit grey and decided to just go with it. Cedric admired that show of confidence about her right away. But then, he couldn't help but also admire, for just one brief second before sending his eyes straight up again, her cleavage, which she had daringly let go somewhat low in the box-shape cut neckline of her silver dress. Again, Cedric interpreted this to mean she was an older woman, possibly, nay, probably a widow with that kind of nerve, if she'd ever married at all. But then, to be completely, uncouthly honest, if only in his own mind, with a body like that he couldn't imagine she hadn't been married at least once before...

He realized he'd been staring a little too long when she suddenly winked at him, and he shook himself out of it. "Oh! Y-Yes, m-madam...?"

"Grey." She replied, predictably, in a voice that was just as between tones as the rest of her. A feminine voice, but a mature voice too. "Jane Grey."

"You don't say." He replied, biting his lip to restrain his humor. "My mother's middle name is Jane..."

"Mine's Adalyn." She replied.

"I like it." He bowed his head to hide the dust of a blush on his cheeks. "Actually, come to think of it, I believe I may have a friend named Adela...?" His memory was foggy on that, but the name seemed so familiar...

"Hmm, a lady-friend?" This bold older woman inquired with no hesitation, winking again in her mask.

Cedric put up a good front and stood up straight. As someone who had been kissed by a princess, he had a healthy enough amount of confidence now. "May I inquire as to why you're so interested in that, Lady Grey?"

She chuckled low, muffled further by the mask. "I'm bored! I've been all around the world, met all kinds of people. But I've got a specific type, and they're unfortunately rather rare. I see you're magical, Sir Cedric Goodwin..." She hinted rather obviously.

He looked away from her in false modesty. "Ah, so you're some kind of witch or sorceress yourself, Lady Grey?"

"Something like that, yes. And newly single, I might add. My old man made a cad of himself and started fooling around with one of my friends, so I left him and her in the past, and now here I am in the future~"

He raised an eyebrow, but smiled with interest - She was very candid. "I can't help but notice your accent - It's so unique. I can definitely tell you've been all over the world, but I'd hesitate to guess that you spent your childhood in America, didn't you?"

She laughed, "My, you're good! My father was a French immigrant and my mother was Irish, and they met over on the boat to New York! And your accent, British are you?"

"Just spent my schoolboy days there, otherwise I've lived mostly in Enchancia. I did spend a few years in Arendelle as well, though." Hmm - He wasn't normally this open or chatty with people, but this 'Grey Lady" was irresistibly charming...

"Ah, so you're fairly well-traveled yourself then, are you Sir Cedric...?"

He rather liked that 'Sir' bit, too. "Well enough, I suppose..."

Although he was still trying to keep an eye out for Sofia, this refined but surprisingly honest woman held a good deal of his attention, too. She was very talkative, so he didn't have to say as much himself, which was to his liking. She told him all about growing up in America, and funding trips around the world by singing in operas and dancing in ballets. As had been mentioned, she had been married once, but her husband had not stayed true, and so she went traveling again, since she had no children to tie her down - Though she did express some regret at not being able to bring a little one into the world, to which he expressed his sympathy to her.

They shared a cup of punch over by Cedric's tentacle-punch bowl, and when the band began to play a refined waltz, the Grey Lady even managed to convince stuffy Cedric to lead her in a slow dance. Finally, when the night was half over with and the other guests were shuffling into their seats at the table for dinner, she and Cedric stole away outside, neither as interested in dinner as they were in one another's company.

As they strolled leisurely through the garden, aimlessly walking away from the party and the nosy guests, the sorcerer's mature new friend cackled like a witch as he finished telling her an amusing story about his recent travels to Arendelle, and leaned in a little closer to him. He glanced over with a shy smile as she took one of his arms and cradled it close to her bosom as he led her, and mentioned, "I'm usually not so forward with women, but I feel like I should tell you - I think you're very fascinating and beautiful, Lady Grey..."

She squeezed his arm appreciatively at the compliment, "I think you're very interesting and handsome, too, Sir Cedric..."

He suddenly stopped, and pulled her into the shadowy stables. His eyes peered intensely into hers, not just seeking out contact, but wordlessly expressing his desires and intentions. She gave him the exact same stare back, so he just barely hesitated to ask, "M-Madam, would you remove your mask, if I asked you for a kiss...?"

Her whole body jumped up with delight at the suggestion, and he could see the grin in her eyes, even if the lips of the mask remained the same painted stillness. "Aye, I would - But there's something you need to know first, though I'm sure you already guessed as much... I'm probably quite a bit older than you, mature enough though you are. What are you, thirty, thirty-five?" She guessed.

He gave her a smirk, "You flatter me, milady. I'm sure you could tell I'm closer to forty-five, which I am."

"Oh~" She bowed her head at the 'modest' mistake. "Well, I'm still a whole fifteen years older than that... If that's alright with you, well then... Why don't you step into the shadows with me, and I'll remove my mask..."

Now she was shy? That was actually rather adorable, as well as enticing. So he obeyed and stepped into the shadows with her, removing his mask first as he did so. Then he watched as she did the same, noting a beautiful and barely-wrinkled face, smiling but otherwise somewhat neutral looking, at least in the lack of light. Swallowing nervously, and glad his breath currently tasted like fruit punch, he shyly took her by the waist and gazed down into her eyes as he lowered his lips down to hers.

It started off innocently enough at first - They kissed the way young adults kiss in the halls at school, when there were chastising teachers about to keep them in line, and that was more than fine with Cedric. The way they pressed their lips together constantly, back and forth, but still closed, was more than enough to get his heart beating fast and erratic. That was, until the Grey Lady showed some of her nerve again, and darted out her tongue, running it across the line of his lips - Then his heart quite abruptly stopped for two or three beats before resuming rapid-pace.

"M-Milady-?" He gasped, pulling back just an inch and looking down at her in inquiry.

"Oho~" She chuckled under her breath back to him, "I'm sorry, Sir Cedric, it's just - I thought we were in France? Isn't this how the French kiss~?" She pursed her lips back at him in a teasing wisp of a kiss, before then proceeding to grab him by the back of his neck, and drag him back into her kiss, this time demanding entrance from him by also taking him by the chin with her other hand to hold him still. He finally relented to her, and hesitantly opened his mouth, thinking to himself that she seemed a lot more experienced than he initially assumed. Which was just fine with him, considering how much experience he had - That is, none.

Now they kissed like young adults did in secret, when they were sure no prying eyes were around to see. They held their bodies close to one another, and although Cedric had never kissed anyone like this before in his life, after letting her do what she liked for a while at first, he was able to replicate it well enough himself. He would let her swirl her tongue around his for a while, then copy the rotating motions himself on her. Simple though the motions were, they made him feel as if every cell in his body had lit up like a Wassalia candle, and though it really wasn't possible for them to get any closer, that didn't stop them from trying.

It was never agreed how long they would kiss, but it went on for quite a while, as neither seemed to care to stop the other or move from them. But then the clock-tower began to chime, and Lady Grey suddenly gasped and pulled away as the time registered."Oh dear, is it so late already...?" She fretted.

She'd just reached the light of the moonbeams outside the stables when Cedric caught up to her, and gently snatched up her hand, "Milady, wait - What's the problem? Is your carriage about to turn back into a pumpkin?" He jested.

She looked back and gave him a shy giggle, a touch of pink lighting up her cheeks. "Well, no, but... My other spell will be wearing off soon..."

He raised an eyebrow at the silver lady, "What other spell...?" He just began to mumble, when he suddenly realized that not only had her cheeks gone pink, but also her lips, nails, and her dress. Her few wrinkles smoothed out completely, her stormy grey eyes returned to their calm and clear blue, and her grey and silver hair bloomed into it's usual brown with a touch of cinnamon...

"Oh hell..." He barely managed to mumble, because damn it, if it wasn't Lady Sofia herself...

She giggled openly, with no shame at her mischief, and quickly pulled him back into the shadows.

He protested, "But, wait, where's your amulet-?" He almost wanted to believe that this was another evil copy of Sofia, as had happened once before. But she smiled apologetically, and reached for her ponytail. The amulet had been tied and hidden there, and she now resumed it to her neck. Apparently it just had to be on her person in some way to count, not necessarily around her neck.

"You know," Sofia went on, letting her fresh, young hair down again. "Princess Ivy's good sister, Queen Olivia, helped me with this outfit and the spell. I met her while I was traveling through Greece, and I have been to all the places in America that I, or, 'Jane' mentioned too..."

Cedric's cheeks were red-hot with embarrassment, but he also still felt icy cold as he glared and replied, "Oh, so you didn't lie about absolutely -everything-? How noble of you." He quickly dropped the mocking patient smile and frowned at her too, "You tricked me!"

She smiled again, but not so apologetically this time, "I know, and I am sorry - But you know us witches and sorceresses are said to do that from time to time, and well..." Her smile suddenly turned into a knowing smirk. "If you can honestly say you've never lied to anyone yourself, I'll be happy to accept all your criticism..."

Damnation. She had him there, and she had him good. He bit his lip and restrained the urge to say any more, and instead stood and stared, sweating even though it was chilly, whilst she shifted her transparent, shimmering shawl over her shoulders. He finally sighed, rolled his eyes, and took off his coat, throwing it around her and tucking it over her shoulders.

She looked up at him and smiled widely before continuing, "Here's the thing... You liked me well enough when you thought I was fifteen years older than you. And I DO understand that it IS different circumstances," She quickly added before he protested as much himself, "But I know you understand that they're also VERY similar. I really do believe we're soul-mates, Cedric. I am sorry that my soul arrived to this world so much later than yours, but then I suspect your soul may have arrived a little too early as well! And so, if you liked me well enough when I had grey hair and wrinkles, well... Can you really, honestly say you don't find me appealing enough as I am now? Can you really say..." She suddenly stepped in close to him again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and bringing them in close. "That you don't want me too, the way I want you...?"

He was panicking, his heart was racing, but he didn't try to pull back from her. He was mostly still at first, but a fire had been lit within him, and he knew he had to react quick to contain it. At first he stared at her, slack-jawed for a second, before he rushed to reply in confusion, "The way-What way? What, exactly, DO you want of me...?"

"The whole thing." She replied with a shrug, as if everything was a trifle to ask, and really, for her hand? Of course it was. "I want to go do some more traveling, and help others with my magic for a while. I want you to come with me. Obviously it's not safe for a girl to go into the big wide world alone, so I'd want you there to protect me. But then again, it's not proper for a lady and a gentleman to go off alone together just like that, so we'd have to get married first..."

Cedric's eyes kept managing to somehow get wider, but Sofia went on, closing her own eyes dreamily as she pictured it in her head, "And though it's not something that's immediately on my agenda, I of course would expect to someday have children with the man I marry. I know you think of me as a delicate flower, Cedric, and I do love floral-flavored fruit jellies like rose-peach or lavender-blueberry, but it's the fully matured fruit from the fertile tree that sustains people, not the immature flower..." She was pretty sure even a man as naive as Cedric could sometimes be, had to get the meaning of what she was suggesting to him now. But then again, just to make sure... "I'm ready to fulfill that part of my life soon. And I want it to be with you."

"What! BUT, w-with M-ME?!" The nervous sorcerer shrilly cried back, still in disbelief even after hearing it with his own ears. "And wait, -children-, as in, p-plural-?"

"Oh yes, I'd want at least two. But hopefully three or four?" She opened her eyes again and grinned mischievously up at him.

"Let's NOT get ahead of ourselves now-!" He finally pulled back from her again and crossed his arms in front of his chest, too nervous to be so near her inviting warmth, especially not with her saying such tempting things. "Of course any fool would love to have the great dumb-luck of getting to marry someone as amazing as you, but what I might want and what I might actually have are two very different things! Especially considering your father-!"

Abruptly pulling him back by his sleeve, she cut him off with a firm, sudden kiss - An insisting kiss, before pulling back and locking her eyes onto his. "My opinion is the one that matters most, Cedric, and ultimately, it's the only one that matters at all. What anyone else thinks, even my father, the king, it doesn't matter. The only people whose opinions matter in this, is you and I. Cedric, I want to court you for a short time, and then I want to marry you. I want to travel a while with you, then settle down and raise a family with you, and grow old with you. Do you want to do all that with me too?"

His heart, his lips, and every other part of his body ached for her, begged for her. He couldn't deny her or himself any longer. So he leaned his head down, and softly kissed her cheek, glancing down at her amulet just once before looking away, back up at her cinnamon-colored hair. He just hoped their children had the luck of taking after her. At least two, she said? Well, perhaps a boy to inherit the Family Wand and a girl to inherit Sofia's Amulet wouldn't be so bad, he thought.

"I've never wanted anything more in my life..." He finally admitted to her in a whisper.

She smiled patiently and kissed his cheek in turn, "Well, I'm telling you, you can have me, silly..." She replied, smoothing her hands over the back of his neck and shoulders as she embraced him.

Cedric's frozen limbs finally thawed out, and he wrapped his arms around her waist in kind, squeezing her body to his gently and pressing his cheek against her soft hair. He had no idea how he was going to repay this wonderful woman for how much good she had brought into his life, and how happy she continued to make him. But he supposed, he had the rest of his life to figure it out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Cedric had never really believed he'd get married someday, but the few times he'd pondered it, he'd always imagined he'd have a a long engagement first, to make absolutely sure his bride-to-be was truly the right one for him.

But then, he had never expected that the most perfect woman on the planet would ever offer her hand in marriage to him on an almost literal silver platter, either. So when Sofia insisted that they make their announcement sooner than later, he saw little reason not to indulge her - She had been waiting long enough, as had he, even if he didn't know he was waiting at the time. Besides, if King Roland was going to kill him for this, best to get it over with.

They did wait until James and Vivian's wedding had passed, and then a little longer until Spring came, since if Cedric was going to come clean to Roland, he would at least do it in favorable weather. Finally, on the morning of the first of March, Sofia came to her fiance's room and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, and informed him, "Cedric, I told my mother this morning that I would have an announcement for the family this afternoon at tea..." She began, the blush on her cheeks making it more than obvious what she was speaking of.

"Right." He agreed with a small sigh, "Well, I got a new pair of 'good robes' for the occasion, and the gloves with fingers that you insisted upon." He raised his hands and showed her the smart new dragon's hide gloves. "It still wouldn't be good enough for my father, but hopefully it's enough for yours..."

She kissed him again, this time on the forehead, in reassurance. "You're everything to me. If he can't be happy for us, it'll be his loss. But I'm sure father won't be cross once he's listened to what we have to say."

Accepting her guidance and putting his nerves beneath him, Cedric nodded and got as ready as he was able by the time afternoon tea had come, and sat outside the tea parlor as Sofia went in to begin things for them.

Her mother and father were sitting at one end of the table, and on either sides Amber and Desmond, and Julian, James and Vivian were sitting with their biscuits and tea. Opposite of the King and Queen, they had left the final space open for Sofia to address them as she had requested. Stepping up to the end of the table, Sofia took a deep breath, and began, "Good afternoon, family. As I'm sure mother has already informed you, I have an announcement to make..."

She paused a moment as she noticed Amber taking a sip of her tea. After noticing she was looking right at her, Amber raised an eyebrow back at her sister, "What?"

Sofia gave her a knowing smirk, "Oh, nothing. I'm just waiting for you to put the cup down first."

Amber blinked in recognition, then put the teacup down as she'd been asked. "Ooh, so it's one of -those- kinds of announcements..."

"It's nothing bad!" Sofia insisted, "In fact, it's great news! Family... I've fallen in love with someone, and I'm going to marry them!"

Amber's eyes went wide and she gasped with delight at the thought of another wedding to plan, and of course she was overjoyed for her sister too. But then realization dawned on her, and she glanced back at the teacup before looking back at Sofia suspiciously, "Wait... Who IS this person...?"

"Yes, Sofia, who on Earth is he?" Miranda quickly followed after a brief battle with her emotions.

Roland wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders proudly, "Yes, do tell! Who is the lucky man?"

Beaming like the sun, Sofia stepped over to the door and disappeared behind it for a few seconds. When she reemerged, every smiling face in the room fell as the mystery man stepped in with her. In the corner, Baileywick gasped out loud at the sight - A good steward knew which shades of make-up the ladies of the house preferred, so after seeing the color on Cedric's lips that night, he'd had his suspicions. But he never really believed he was correct about THAT...

After gaping for a moment or two, Amber remarked in a sigh, "Wow, I am SO glad I put the glass down..."

"Sofia... It's a little early for April Fool's jokes, isn't it...?" Roland mumbled in shock, not quite yet believing what he was hearing and seeing.

But Sofia shook her head patiently, and linked her arm with Cedric's, who looked away from everyone in embarrassment. "I know this will be shocking for you, and I know why. But I've been in love with Cedric for many years, and before you jump to any conclusions, you should know - He tried his very best to be a gentleman and rebuffed me many times because of my age, and after bothering him for years, he has finally agreed to marry me. I understand completely if this comes as a shock to you, but I dearly hope you will come to regard him as family, because I love him so, and I know he's worthy of all the love I have to give..."

"...Well, good luck to you Sofia, but I got to say, this is officially the weirdest thing I've seen all year." James suddenly proclaimed with a shrug.

For which his wife gave him a mild glare, "James, be nice. I think it's wonderful that Sofia found someone to love and spend her life with."

"Besides, the year just started." Amber quipped after her.

Desmond nudged her too, "Sofia seems like a great judge of character. If this is the person she wants to marry, I'm confident in her choice."

"Yeah!" Julian piped up, giving his big sister a great, big grin. "Sofia's the smartest person I know! She wouldn't marry just anybody! And Mister Cedric is a great sorcerer!" He added, as Cedric had been quite the hit at his last birthday party.

Miranda and Roland glanced at one another after listening to the rest of the family on the matter. They spoke without words, but with only the glances between them. Finally they nodded briefly to one another, and turned their glances back to Cedric. Roland spoke for the both of them, "I'm also confident that Sofia would never marry someone she didn't love with all her heart... But this is still -quite- a shock!" He had to impress, and Sofia nodded in acceptance of that. "I have to ask... Cedric, would you mind sitting down and speaking to me alone, man to man?"

The sorcerer had of course seen this coming from miles away, but the dread he felt still managed to be much greater than he'd imagined it would be. After swallowing several times, he finally managed to nod and answer, "Y-Yes, your majesty..."

Roland strolled off to the adjoining room, motioning for Baileywick to follow them, mostly so that both Sofia and Cedric would be assured he wasn't about to do anything unreasonable with a witness present. Once the Steward had closed the door behind them, the King turned and faced the Sorcerer, and addressed him, "Cedric, let me mention a few things that are presently on my mind in light of recent events - First of all, when you first came to work at the castle, I'll admit I was pretty underwhelmed by you in comparison to your father, and, no offense, for good reason. But over the years you showed me that I was unfair to judge you so hastily, because you are a truly talented sorcerer, and personally, I do believe you are a man of good character, overall, and I'm sure you'd never hurt Sofia even if you could." He mentioned very pointedly.

Cedric almost let himself sigh with a little relief, until the King went on, "However, there is something that worries me Cedric... I assume it didn't occur to you. But your father, Goodwin, told me a while back ago that the man who attacked the castle years ago, that Billy Blight... He told me that man is actually your biological father." Cedric's eyes went wide although his mouth stayed shut, and Roland continued, "I worry, Cedric, that the magic your biological father used to bewitch Sofia... Might that be what's causing her to become attracted to you now?"

Cedric's heart sank. As hard as he had tried not to hurt Sofia, had he gone and done it anyways? "I..."

The door suddenly opened, and all three men stared as the Lady in questioned stepped inside with a stern look on her face for all of them, but especially her father and fiance. "You're wrong about that." She told them, "All wrong! That horrible man's magic isn't what made me love Cedric! My love for Cedric was what made it so easy for him to ensnare me! Please, if you think something concerns me, tell or ask -me- about it, father! And you!" She looked over at Cedric now, her hands on her hips. But her stern look softened quickly when she saw how whipped he already looked, and she only mildly chided him, "Don't ever doubt our love again..."

He nodded slowly, and she smiled again before holding out her hand for him. He took it gratefully, and stood by her side once more as she concluded, "Please understand, father. I know you never imagined this for me. I know you imagined much different and grander things. But this is what -I- want..."

Roland sighed, and slowly nodded. "I can't say I understand it, but I accept it... Cedric." The King turned to his Sorcerer and bowed his head just slightly, much to the magic-maker's surprise. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but you're a very lucky man."

"Incomprehensibly lucky..." He agreed rather weakly, bowing lower.

Sofia smiled at the exchange, then took her fiance by the arm and began to lead him away, remarking as she did so, "Cedric, I do believe an Autumn Wedding sounds very pretty, what do you think?"

He grinned genuinely back at her, "Like a Harvest Wedding? I think it sounds perfect, my dear."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

'Dear Sarah,

Hello Mother, it's me, your son, Cedric. I would have written you again soon anyways, I promise, but I do have especially exciting news to write you for this time. I never thought you'd be right about this, mum, but you were - I'm getting married in the fall! I don't know how I got so incredibly lucky, but the most beautiful bride in the whole wide world asked me to be hers. I couldn't say no. To be completely honest though, because I don't want you to be shocked when you see her, she is quite a bit younger than me. At first I was very hesitant to return her affections, but she was quite insistent and... Well, she was -very- insistent!

Anyways though! If you should still feel up to traveling, you can either come directly on the boat that comes to deliver this letter, they'll offer you a ride if you want to leave right away, or you could catch the next, but I wouldn't feel bad if weren't able to come at all if your health won't permit it. Well, I mean, of course I'd feel bad if you were unhealthy, but you know what I meant.

If you were able to come though, I'm sure my bride - Her name is Lady Sofia Adela of Enchancia, by the way - Would absolutely delight you, mother. She has said that she very much wants to meet you, and of course, I would always love to see you again too. My mother and father, Winifred and Goodwin, have also said they'd like to see you again.

I hope this letter finds you well. Naturally I'll send a few copies to make sure they make it, since it's such an extra important event.

Love Always,

Your Son,

Cedric the Sensational'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was a bright and sunny Summer day when the mail-and-trade-boat to Arendelle arrived. At Sofia's insistence, Cedric went out with her to the dock to see if Sarah might have arrived with it. She in fact had read the letter the second she got it, and had begun packing her bags as soon as she read it. Little Princess Inge and her little sisters cried when she left, but she promised them that she'd come back soon.

Despite never being on a boat before, Sarah had a much better stomach for it than her son, and she was standing by the bow as she watched it come closer and closer to the pier. When Cedric recognized her, he put his hand up and began to wave. Once she saw him, Sarah waved back, until the ship got close enough to actually see her son and, specifically, the incredibly beautiful girl standing next to him, with her arm wound around his. Then the old mother gasped and covered her open mouth with her hands in shock as she squealed, "CEDRIC! Is that her?! That PRINCESS standing next to you?! She's your bride?!" She didn't know yet that Sofia had once actually been a real princess, but she looked just like one to Sarah.

Sofia smiled and waved to her too as she called back, "Hello! You can call me Sofia, if it's alright for me to call you mum?"

"OHOHO~" Sarah giggled madly, hopping on her toes with excitement, "Are you kidding? You wonderful girl, you can call me the Loch Ness Monster for all I care! My boy is getting MARRIED~!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

On the few times he had ever entertained what he believed at the time to be nonsense, Cedric had always thought that, if he was to get married at all, it should be a small ceremony with only the very closest of family and friends in attendance. But of course, he never in a hundred years would have believed he'd be marrying a beautiful social butterfly and former princess, who of course had made so many friends in such high places over the years, that it would be unheard of not to invite them all, lest anyone be offended. Even though she was no longer an official princess, her wedding was more talked about than even Amber's. Though of course, no one was about to tell the future queen that.

So of course she had to invite her old school buddies from Royal Prep and their families, and then the teachers from Royal Prep too, her closest friends from the village and their families, all the various friends she'd made in various places and of various social standings. After she was done listing out the bare minimum of people she had to invite, Cedric suddenly realized it was a good thing he didn't have very many friends himself after all, because to fit in all of Sofia's crew they'd have to use the groom's seating arrangements too.

So it was also a good thing that they had so many accomplished chefs at Enchancia Castle, to feed so many guests, but also Winifred had offered to personally bake and decorate their wedding cake for them. Since it was an Autumn or 'Harvest' Wedding, she had offered to make them a slightly modified version of her famous Harvest Bread, which was like a spiced fruit-cake made with all the different produce that came along with the end of the harvest. But instead of making a bread, she said, she planned to take out the seeds and nuts, and add cake flour instead, and make it a Harvest Cake, which she then planned to smother in a buttercream frosting.

Sofia and Cedric were delighted by the suggestion, and Sarah was more than eager to offer to help her. She and Winifred got along swimmingly, and grumpy Goodwin seemed sweeter to everyone, even Cedric, with the spirited woman from Arendelle around, both because she was so chipper, and because she was quick to defend Cedric along with Winifred whenever Goodwin criticized him. And with two determined women on Cedric's side, Goodwin didn't stand a chance.

Almost everyone responded that they would be attending, but unfortunately a few people responded in the opposite. Well, mostly unfortunate. Cedric was rather glad that his also-adopted sister had once again chosen her love for her cat companion, the odious Mister Two-Claws. The tabby cat was a polydactyl, and had an extra two claws on the front two paws. As if the temperamental beast wasn't bad enough, but it actually had more claws than most awful cats! Oh but his sister spoiled the thing rotten, and had even turned down the job as Royal Sorcerer when it was discovered that the King was allergic to cats! Cedric had -NEVER- gotten over that, how he got his job by chance, by luck, because it should have gone to his much more talented sister-witch, and he'd only gotten it because of... Because of that mean, smelly cat!

...But, then again, if that never had happened he would have never grown to know Sofia, and had all the interesting adventures with her that he'd had. On second thought, perhaps he ought to send his 'dear' sister a package of toys and treats for the foul feline...

One of the other people that responded that they could not come, well, it was the strangest thing, actually - A messenger came to the castle very suddenly one morning, wearing wet clothes and constantly wincing and stumbling as they walked, as if they were not accustomed to walking or had, apparently, just swam a great distance? And the messenger didn't stay a moment longer than necessary, hastily giving Sofia a wad of seaweed, and informing her quickly, "Princess Oona, Princess Cora and Queen Emmalline send their regrets at being unable to attend, but they also send a gift - The Queen said, 'She had many sisters', and that you would know what that means! Congratulations and good luck!" Immediately after saying all that, the messenger ran back to wherever he had come from, wincing, "Ouch! Ouch, ow!" All the way out of the castle.

When Sofia opened the soggy seaweed package, she found the most lovely strand of vibrant purple pearls inside. She grinned and hugged the necklace before putting it away in her pocket.

A few days later, Sofia pulled her fiance aside and requested of him, "Cedric, come with me - I want you to see something!"

He followed her, and she led him to her bedroom. He stopped her at the door, and nervously inquired, "Wait-?"

She rolled her eyes, "Cedric, it's my DRESS! I want you to see it!"

He raised an eyebrow back at her, "But isn't that supposed to be bad luck?"

"That sounds silly." She replied dismissively, finally dragging him the rest of the way in. His eyes went wide as he saw the garment - Which was beautiful, but much more simple and plain than he'd expected of Sofia's wedding dress. It wasn't poofy at all like her usual 'princess' dresses - It was long and flowing. The simple, pure white, with no designs upon it, flowed down over the mannequin Sofia had it set upon. The sleeves were long, which was appropriate because the Autumn weather would likely be a little chilly. The neck was also shaped like a 'V', which was designed to show off the new and improved Amulet of Avalor, which is what truly had Cedric's eye more than anything. Sofia had set the amulet on the strand of pearls that the weird, wet messenger had sent her, and he now just noticed that the pearls were the exact same vibrant purple color as the Amulet.

She explained, "When I was out adventuring with Tilly, we met this mermaid clan that I also once met as a girl. One day their Queen pointed to my amulet and said 'She had sisters, you know. I'll send them to you later.' I never knew what she meant until I saw this... The centerpiece gem in the Amulet of Avalor - It's a pearl. Or, part of one, kind of. 'Mother of Pearl', I think it's called. When the pearl only half-forms in the shell prematurely. These fully formed pearls are the sisters of the Amulet of Avalor. Now, they're finally together again, and so, they're more powerful than ever..."

He stared in awe as she put the strand and the amulet on her neck once more. She was more complete as a woman, as a sorceress, in this moment, than he'd ever seen her before. Then she shyly took the wedding dress into her closet to change, leaving him to wait, blushing, while he sat on her bed. But when she came out, she had him blushing twice as red from how beautiful she was.

Glorious, really. That simple white dress, more than any garment he'd ever seen her wear, truly made her look like the angel he knew she was. She blushed too, feeling the need to explain, "I know it's rather simple, but I wear extravagant dresses so often, they kind of bore me, to be honest. I wanted to be comfortable more than anything on my wedding day, and well, this is actually the dress my mother wore when she married her first husband, my father Julian, so... I thought, if I wore this, it would be kind of like he's here to see the wedding too..."

"I think it's perfect." He insisted, some wetness gathering in his eyes.

She laid her head on his shoulder and hugged him, hiding her tears. "I think so too..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When the big day finally came, though the groom was convinced he had things the worst, everyone in the castle was bustling nervously to and fro, determined to make Lady Sofia's wedding the most perfect wedding ever. Baileywick and Sarah worked together to strand white and golden-orange colored dahlias everywhere, as well as purple salvias, which most sorcerers adorned their special occasions with, for good luck and a magical boost.

The kitchen crew had prepared a feast of Fall-themed French dishes to accompany Winifred's much talked-about Iced Harvest Wedding Cake, which towered over seven tiers with how many guests were expected to attend. To start, there was to be a refreshing pear and walnut salad with strawberry champagne vinaigrette, and either traditional French onion soup or a cheesy pureed pumpkin and cauliflower soup. Then the main course, a coq au vin braised in the finest Enchancian Burgundy - That is, for the meat-eating crowd. Sofia personally tried to keep her diet as vegetarian as she could manage, for obvious reasons. It was just too awkward to have to talk to something you might have eaten a family member of. But she did allow herself to have eggs and milk, with the express permission of the chickens and dairy cows they came from, of course. So the chef specially prepared her and her fellow vegetarian and vegan crowd roasted vegetable ratatouille and a quiche au fromage with creme fraiche and chopped scallions.

To complete things, Goodwin had magically enchanted several bottles of pink champagne to continuously pour down and back up in a fountain-like shape, but with no actual fountain. You could go up and fill your glass from any part of the fountain, and it would maintain its shape until it was in your glass. Once there, the guest would soon discover that the beverage was just as crisp and bubbly as if it had just come out of a freshly-corked bottle.

As nervous as he was though, Cedric made sure to stay away from the champagne. The crowd of guests that arrived was even bigger than he'd imagined it would be, and he could feel all of their eyes on him, judging him - That's the guy who's marrying Lady Sofia? She could have had anyone in the world, and she chose HIM? He could see them whispering to each other and he just knew that was what they were saying...

It was nerve-wracking, waiting behind the podium for the ceremony to start, and watching more and more guests shuffle into the castle courtyard where the wedding was taking place. He'd never done well around crowds, and more was at stake now than ever before. This wasn't just one of his usual magic shows, which everyone expected him to fail at anyways - This was his wedding, and not just -his- wedding, but Sofia's wedding. Everything -needed- to be perfect, but Cedric just -knew- he'd find a way to screw everything up, like always. What if he clammed up when it came time to say his vows? What if he missed her mouth when he was supposed to kiss her? Oh merlin, what if he got -gas-?

He was close to biting his fingernails with fright when he finally heard 'Here comes the Bride' begin to play on the piano, his signal to take his place at the podium. On the way, he almost tripped over the hem of his white wedding robe, but thankfully everyone was too focused on the beautiful bride to notice his comical blunder. He soon joined them in their awestruck stupor as she made her way down the aisle, between the two pews which were both completely full.

Cedric quickly forgot all his anxiety as he watched her walk towards him, more stricken than anyone else in the crowd. Could this really be happening? Could the most perfect woman in the world really be his, for the low, low price of the rest of his life? A trifle, since he was sure that if he ever had to go a day without her again, he would surely die.

When she finally reached him at the podium, he beamed at her, so full of happiness and pride. No veil separated her lovely face from his view, and she smiled back at him. But he couldn't help but notice, she seemed a little... Distracted?

Well, nevermind it. She was probably just as nervous as he was, in front of all these people. Glancing back over at the pews, he gave a bashful smile to his two mothers and father as the priest began to recite, "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today..."

As the old holy man droned out the predictable speech, Cedric couldn't help but notice something rather strange. Behind the pews, some solitary figure was standing in a long, dark red robe. He had a cloak pulled over his head so that his face couldn't be seen, but there was something disconcertingly familiar about that form... Where had he seen it before...?

Bah, what was he doing? He was getting married to the most wonderful woman in the world, and he was worried about some old hermit who had probably sneaked into the party for a free meal? So he redirected his gaze back where in belonged, on his bride. But then he noticed, that Sofia was looking right at the strange man too...

Cedric looked back at him, and suddenly he gasped as the hooded figure suddenly threw off his cloak, and shot a silencing spell at the priest before taking over the speech for himself, "We are gathered here today, to watch the demise of two great fools! HAH!"

Everyone turned and stared in shock and disgust with the newcomer and his interruption, but Sarah gasped outright in fright when she saw the face of the cur. Noticing her reaction, the fresh young face redirected his glowing green eyes at her, and sneered, "Oh, my dear Sarah! Fancy meeting you here. How frightfully old and ugly you're looking~ But I supposed that's to be expected at your age."

The old mother's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped in indignation, before she snapped it shut and shot back at him, "I won't say what you look like, William. It's too vulgar for even a old hag like me to utter..."

Baileywick, who was sitting next to her, put a hand on her shoulder in support and glared at the uncouth 'young' sorcerer, who sneered at all the wedding guests who were currently giving him similar looks. The white-haired cad went on, "I must say, I'm quite offended that -I- of all people didn't get an invitation! The father of the groom, not invited to his own son's wedding! How uncivilized." He remarked, turning his head and spitting on the ground. "Now how do you suppose I should react to an injustice like that..."

Sofia turned and fixed her eyes right upon his. The look in her eyes was enough to send a chill down her husband's spine, and making a man shiver who had spent nearly ten years in the land of ice and snow, was no small feat. "I knew it..." She muttered.

"Hmm? What's that?" Billy sneered back at her, "Would you like to beg for mercy, little girl?"

Right in the middle of his gloating, Sofia suddenly pulled out her wand, which had been hidden in her wedding bouquet, and pointed it at the pews, "Auxilium Arma!" She cried out, and a surge of lavender light left her want, encasing all the guests in a protective purple shield of magical aura.

Taking the chance she presented by putting the safety of others first, Billy tried to send an electric shock her way. But Cedric had quickly pulled out his wand from his robes as well, and shot back, "Flexilis Pila!"

His spell created a rubber bubble which trapped the electric shocks within itself, neutralizing them. But Billy was young and quick, and he shot out two more similar spells at the young lovers, rapid fire, too quick to counter.

"SPIRITUS ARMA!" Sofia suddenly shouted just in the nick of time, covering herself and Cedric with a powerful shield made out of her spiritual energy, a vibrant purple-colored barrier which reflected Billy's energy blasts back at him. They hit him right in the chest, knocking him onto his back, but he quickly got back up with a deep growl.

"Oh, so you've learned a trick or two, have you, girl?" He sneered at her.

She leveled an unimpressed gaze back at him. "I'll tell you what I've learned, Billy. It was the hardest lesson I ever had to learn..." Reaching down and taking Cedric's hand in hers, she went on, "I've always wanted to believe in the goodness of people. I wanted to believe that if you just showed someone love, they'd turn out to be a good person underneath. And that's true most of the time. But then there's people like you..." She narrowed her eyes, full of scorn for him. "People like you, who don't have even a scrap of goodness within them. Who would try to ruin your own son's wedding for revenge. I had to accept that evil like you existed in this world. So I did, to protect myself and my loved ones. I already knew you were coming today, Billy..."

He raised an eyebrow at her cryptic words, "What are you talking about?"

To everyone's further shock, another surprise guest stepped out from behind the podium - A beautiful middle-aged woman, who despite having a youthful face, already had silver hair, which was braided behind her. She wore a silver dress with black butterflies on it, and a silver crown. It was none other than Queen Olivia, monarch of the kingdom of monotone and silence.

Unnerved at not being the only surprise guest as he'd expected, Billy was about to shoot another shocking spell at the newcomer, but first Sofia quickly pointed her wand at him first, and commanded, "Silentium!"

Glowing yellow rays of light shot from Sofia's wand and bound themselves around Billy's body, pinning his arms to his sides and immobilizing him. Ignoring the foul language that came flying from his mouth right after, Sofia kept him suspended in place while Olivia pointed her own wand at him and called out, "Incarcerare Esse!"

Billy fought back fiercely against Sofia's stillness-spell, but by then Cedric, Goodwin and Tilly had all joined in to help her, each binding him with another color of light, and pushing him back into a vortex behind him that had been created by Queen Olivia's spell. With the enhanced and completed Amulet of Avalor in her possession, Sofia would have been enough against him on her own, but he definitely didn't stand a chance with that many talented sorcerers ganging up on him.

"NO!" The wicked wizard shouted as the vortex began to suck him in, "THIS CAN'T BE - RRR, I'LL GET YOU-!"

"Perficere sigillum." Queen Olivia called out calmly over his protests, and the vortex grew exponentially in intensity, drawing Billy in by his precious white hair first, then sucking the rest of his body in. As soon as he was gone, the vortex disappeared as well with a loud 'pop!', and a strong gust of swirling wind that left everyone who had left their hair down that day with a serious case of mop-head. Other than that, though, everyone was completely fine.

Well, for the most part. Many of the non-magical guests were visibly shaken by all the theatrics, and sat blinking in confusion, wondering what just happened. Cedric and Sofia both broke out into a bit of a light sweat at all their stares, until finally the former princess laughed it off and addressed them, as lighthearted as she could be considering the embarrassing interruption and her somewhat violent reaction, "Ahaha - I'm so sorry about that, everyone! Sometimes you've got to just stop what you're doing and seal away an evil sorcerer, you know?"

It was such a strange thing to say, but since she said it so blithely, everyone accepted it and even found themselves chuckling along as the sociable Sofia continued, nudging her father-in-law, "Goodwin knows what I'm talking about!"

"Aye, that I do." He agreed after a good chuckle. "No reason to spoil this happy occasion just because of him - Carry on, pastor!" He called to the nervous holy-man, who was hiding behind the podium and had his toupee knocked off by the wind, leaving him comically bald.

Cedric was still reeling over how that situation had so narrowly avoided leaving the wedding a complete disaster, and the pastor was so caught off-guard by the events that he completely forgot what part of the vows he had left off at. After a few nervous moments of stammering, the priest finally just gave up on the flowery words and settled on, "Oh dear - By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife! You may now kiss the-"

Sofia only let him get that far before throwing her arms around Cedric and pulling him into a playful but passionate kiss, which left the sorcerer wide-eyed and red-faced, knowing that everyone's eyes were on them.

The pastor blinked at the display, and finished awkwardly, "...Er, groom. You may now kiss the groom, apparently. I'm... I'm just gonna go look for my toupee now..." He mentioned quietly before excusing himself. He'd presided over hundreds of weddings before, but this was easily the weirdest...

The rest of the reception went much more smoothly than that, thankfully.

Dinner was served, and everyone agreed it was delicious. But everyone also made sure to save plenty of room for dessert, with the famous Harvest Cake on the menu. The bride and groom fed each other the first pieces of cake, as was traditional, and then afterwards everyone else dug into it too. Oftentimes at weddings there is lots of cake left over that has to be given away, but Winifred's cake vanished down to nothing but crumbs within the hour. And soon, not even the crumbs were left, as they were eagerly snatched up by Sofia's bird-friends.

After the meal, Sofia threw the bouquet, and to everyone's surprise, though many maidens were clamoring for it, the flowers landed right in Sarah's lap, who wasn't even trying to catch it. Then the royal musicians began to play. The first few songs were slow and peaceful, and as was also traditional, the bride and groom danced first. Cedric was more than a little nervous about stepping on Sofia's feet, since obviously he didn't really dance much. But Sofia was patient with him, and they had rehearsed a few times in secret, so he managed to complete the dance without causing anyone pain or embarrassment.

Sofia then shared a dance with Roland, and Cedric waltzed with Winifred. After that the rest of the guests shuffled onto the dance floor, and the musicians changed the music to some sprightly string instruments. Sofia managed to convince Cedric to twirl her around on the dance floor a few times, although since the music was much faster, he did accidentally step on her feet a couple times after all. But she quickly forgave him for it, and after a single glass of champagne to calm his nerves, soon she had him sweeping her across the dance floor like an old pro.

The party went on until very late, but finally the guests started excusing themselves from the merriment. Sofia was sure to personally thank Queen Olivia for her help before she left, and once the rest of the guests has also finally trudged off to bed, Cedric suddenly realized, it would soon be time for him and Sofia to do the same...

Together. Right. Because that's what married couples do. They sleep in the same bed, and...

His cheeks went as red as Wassailia holly. Knowing exactly why, Goodwin gave him a smirk before he left and remarked, "Good luck~" Before disappearing back to Mystic Meadows with Winifred.

Of course Sofia tried to help out with the clean-up process, but Baileywick wouldn't hear of it, "Sarah and I will take care of this, Sofia." He insisted, and so finally, arms linked, the bride and groom headed back into the castle.

"We can sleep in your room tonight, if you like." She suggested with a little squeeze, making Cedric's already pink face turn even brighter. When they had finally arrived outside his door, he was practically quaking in his boots from the anxiety.

Finally, just before opening the door, Cedric stopped and, looking away from her, he mumbled quietly, "Um... S-Sofia, there's something I need to say..."

"Yes?" She smiled patiently at him.

He sputtered incomprehensibly for a moment before finding his voice again, though only barely, "It's just, um, about this part... I just, I'm not sure I'm ready to, tonight..." He blathered, quite sure that he sounded like a simpleton.

But his wife continued to smile, in fact now she was grinning. "To be honest, Cedric..." She let out a deep yawn. "I'm actually awfully tired now myself. Sealing that evil sorcerer away took a lot out of me. So I think it would be nice just to get a good night's sleep..."

Cedric stared at her in wonder. Of course she was tired. When he had last fought against Billy Blight, he barely managed to kick him out of the castle before he was left so magically drained that he couldn't even walk by himself. This amazing woman had sealed him away forever, then proceeded to dance the night away...

"Right..." He nodded solemnly, then, with a sudden mischievous smile as he opened the door, he held out his arms to her in invitation. "I do believe I'm supposed to carry you across the threshold, isn't that so?"

She blushed and giggled. "Well it IS traditional, but I don't want you to hurt yourself, I'm sure I'm quite heavy-Whoa!"

He dismissed her protests and put his arms around her back and knees, hefting her up into his arms. She was a bit heavier than he expected, but he had grown stronger over the years, so he was strong enough to carry her into the room and over to their bed, at least.

She smiled warmly up at him as he laid her down, then reached up and dragged him down onto the bed too, rolling the two of them over until she was on top of him. She held him by the jaw and kissed him silly for a moment or two, then she she rolled back over to his side, and cuddled up against him, her head tucked on his chest.

"Good night, Cedric." She yawned again, closing her eyes and relaxing against him. "I love you..."

He quietly mumbled back to her, "I love you, too..." But to be honest, he actually felt guilty saying it. The words didn't feel big or important enough to really convey how he felt about her. How she had saved his life several times over in every sense of the word, how she made him happier than anyone ever had before. And especially, how she made him feel right now, sleeping in his arms, against his chest, her soft cinnamon hair falling in silken waves over his shoulder...

It was as if everything was right with the world. As if everything was exactly how it should be, at long last...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were in no hurry to leave right away for their honeymoon, since they planned to go traveling for at least a couple years, so the newly wedded couple stayed at the palace for another week, spending time with Sarah until she had to go back home to Arendelle.

When the day finally came that she had to board her boat and return home, she was humbled to find that a small crowd had come to see her off, including her son and his wife of course, but also Goodwin and Winifred, King Roland and Queen Miranda, and much to her happiness and relief, Baileywick...

The aging steward was the last to give her his regards, but when he did, he blushed, and reached into his pocket, "I'd like to give you something, Miss Sarah... To remember me by."

He proceeded to pull out one of his fancy, immaculate handkerchiefs - But this wasn't the usual handkerchiefs he used to wipe just anything. These were the specially embroidered handkerchiefs, which had the Royal Crest of Enchancia sewn upon the corners.

Her eyes shined as she took the beautiful piece of fabric and held it to her heart. "Thank you so much, Mister Baileywick... Oh, here, I have one for you too!" She remembered, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a similar fancy handkerchief, this one with the Royal Crest of Arendelle.

"Until we see each other again?" She added hopefully.

"Nothing would delight me more." He replied, his blush turning a little pinker.

But then it quickly turned outright red, when Sarah suddenly reached up and placed a peck of a kiss on his cheek, right before dashing off to climb onto her boat. Blushing too, she then waved to everyone, giggling at how Baileywick was holding the cheek that she'd kissed, and Cedric was staring at her with his mouth wide open in shock at what she'd done.

"Forget me not, my loves!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Another week after that, Cedric and Sofia had gathered everything they needed for their trip. Sofia had magically enchanted a purse, very similar to Tilly's, and had made it so that an incredible number of things could be stored in the seemingly tiny space. Among other things, she packed into it all kinds of various camping gear, several sets of clothes, treats for both the humans and their animal companions, a compass, a few maps, and an extensive first-aid kit, which included everything from bandages and sunscreen lotion, to cobra and jellyfish anti-venom. Because you never know when you might need cobra or jellyfish anti-venom.

Then their respective families got together to see them off. The Royal Family all gave Sofia great big hugs, and Winifred told her son how proud she was of him. Even Goodwin agreed with her on that, although it was mostly because he 'Never expected him to find such a fine wife'.

Then the Goodwins headed over to send their love to Sofia, and King Roland came to address Cedric. The sorcerer stood up straight as the king regarded him with a mostly neutral gaze, "I trust you'll bring back my daughter safe and sound, Cedric?"

Cedric wisely resisted the urge to roll his eyes or scoff at that, but he couldn't help but quip, "All due respect, your majesty, but I'm fairly sure I'll be relying on her to get me home safe, not the other way around."

After a short, stern glance, the king suddenly bubbled up into a laugh. "I wouldn't doubt it! Not that I really blame you either, since Sofia has saved my life more than once too. Just try not to let her put herself in too much danger, alright Cedric?"

He nodded and then bowed his head low, "I will try, your majesty."

At last, after the tearful goodbyes were said and done with, Sofia and Cedric headed out down the road, hand in hand. Sofia carried the magical purse, which Clover was peeking out of, and her husband had their faithful watchdog Frost-Eye on a leash. There were all kinds of dangerous folks in the world, after all, so it was good to have a ferocious beast on your side.

After walking for a short while, Cedric inquired, "By the way, exactly where are we going? I suppose it's silly, but we never really talked about that."

Sofia smiled and shrugged. "We'll go where we're needed."

"That really isn't a specific location, though..." He argued, until she reached over and shut him up with a kiss.

"Does it really matter where we go, as long as we're together?" She asked sincerely.

He smiled back at her, pacified by her tenderness, at least for now. "I suppose not..."

Her smile stretched into a grin. "Come on, Cedric - The whole world is our oyster. Let's go find some pearls!"

So they went, off into the world. Together.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

(( Author's Notes: Though this is a fine ending for now, I do have one more sequel in mind for the "Heart Series", so don't be sad yet. ^^ Also just in case anyone is curious, here is a quick guide to the spells I used in this fic...

Auxilium Arma - Protective Shield

Flexilis Pila - Rubber Ball

Spiritus Arma - Spirit Shield

Silentium - Silence or Stillness.

Incarcerare Esse - Imprison the Existence

Perficere sigillum - Complete the Seal

Making up spell-words like they do in the show is fine, but sometimes I like to go with Latin instead, because it makes the magic sound more serious. XD Alright, hope you guys enjoyed the fic! And if you did, please leave a review! =D ))


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